"I'd rather get attention by helping the team win and raising the Cup rather than getting hurt and breaking my leg," he said Thursday night, hours after participating in captains practice for the first time. "… For me it was more of a discouraging moment that I had to overcome."

In fact, Campbell felt so uneasy about the celebrity that accompanied his injury that he decided this summer to not sign any autographs on the image. Fliers for an autograph signing in Braintree last month even included a message: "Please note: Campbell will not sign any photos related to his injury."

"I did a few, and then I started thinking about it. I don't want to glorify it," Campbell said. "It's over. The play's over, and I want to move on and focus on what's really important—that's playing. I don't want to make something out of that play and make it into something bigger than it was. It was a blocked shot that happens countless times in a game and series and things like that, so I was just trying (to do) what I had to do to help this team."

Gotta sell skates. As far as implicitly connecting Campbell's move with Boston's response to the Marathon bombings, we'll say "that's pretty weird," and move along. Also, someone may want to check on Jack Edwards, he of the D-Day soldier comparison.

It's worth noting that Campbell, 29, was playing some of the best hockey of his career at the time. Boston's fourth line was making a difference, and Campbell's exit threw off the rest of the lineup. It was a major loss; the Bruins went on to sweep the Penguins, but lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in a six-game Stanley Cup final.

At the time, Puck Daddy's Ryan Lambert wrote about how the decision (and the response) were indicators of hockey's problematic tough-guy culture. Remember, the whistle generally doesn't blow for an injured player until his team possesses the puck, as a means of safe-guarding against fakers, of which Campbell is not one:

(That Campbell) had to be brave at all shows just how bizarre the NHL's attitudes toward player injuries are to this day, in 2013. How long was he on the ice skating around limply, slowly waving his stick at the Penguins players who happened to skate near him in what must have been a haze of endorphins and searing pain? It must have been a good 60 seconds, and that's about 60 seconds longer than a guy with a broken leg should be allowed to stand up and attempt to stop world-class athletes from doing anything.

Now he's stopping himself. That doesn't make him any less tough—and it definitely makes him a better role model. Maybe next up is a Don Cherry-esque PSA: To all you kids out there, don't obsess over past accomplishments, even when they're really impressive. Focus on the present and the future. And definitely don't be afraid to stop skating when your leg's busted in half. Arthritis is no joke. Smarten up! Cue the double thumbs-up.

By the way, Campbell was cleared to run and skate in late August. He hopes to be ready for the Bruins' Oct. 3 season opener, despite the screw in his leg.